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ck4829

(34,980 posts)
Sun May 20, 2018, 09:11 AM May 2018

Our government and media tells us that violence IS the answer

And then we wonder why we have spree, school, mass shootings.

Everything is a "War on Noun". War on Drugs. War on Terrorism. Heck, saying "Happy Holidays" means you are waging a War on Christmas. We've normalized war itself, being in a state of war with the other/people/things you don't like is just background noise at this point.

How often has war been the answer? How often has it been when it wasn't really even the last resort? Vietnam? Iraq?

Law of the instrument - "If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail"

If everything is a war, then I guess everything is a target.
If everybody is a soldier, then I guess everyone you don't like is an enemy combatant.

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Our government and media tells us that violence IS the answer (Original Post) ck4829 May 2018 OP
One of THE most depressing things about America TimeSnowDemos May 2018 #1
Quite true, the US has a history of being very violent. It's also the leader in many RKP5637 May 2018 #3
It's.. TimeSnowDemos May 2018 #4
True. Snackshack May 2018 #2
 

TimeSnowDemos

(476 posts)
1. One of THE most depressing things about America
Sun May 20, 2018, 09:13 AM
May 2018

Is how it's citizenry chooses to ignore or sugarcoat its history of violence.

History tends to punish populations that do that.

RKP5637

(67,032 posts)
3. Quite true, the US has a history of being very violent. It's also the leader in many
Sun May 20, 2018, 09:25 AM
May 2018

wars. The US always has a war on everything. And, a history of maligning minorities. And it's all covered over, sugar coated. There are many good things about the US, but the love affair with violence is incredible.

 

TimeSnowDemos

(476 posts)
4. It's..
Sun May 20, 2018, 09:30 AM
May 2018

The consent of the people that is so depressing.

And of course the bottomless wilful ignorance.

Ask e.g. the average American about Guatemala or even more generally about the US role in 6 million plus civilian deaths in South America in the 50s-80s and you'll get a blank stare.

And yet, Americans are still chomping at the bit for war with Iran, a country that was at its most violent when the West - particularly the US - was in charge.

It won't end well.

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